Irish music blog. Containing gig, live and concert reviews reviews; album reviews; setlists for recent Dublin shows; album news; and basically everything from the Irish music scene.
Showing posts with label The Cast of Cheers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Cast of Cheers. Show all posts
Anyone who was listening to John Barker's Totally Irish on Dublin's 98FM would have heard yours truly talking about O Emperor, I am Not Lefthanded, free music, as well as upcoming gigs. I promised to post links to all the free music (as well as the other stuff I covered), so here it is:
Cast of Cheers - Chariot - debut album of Bloc Party style rock from the Dublin band, made available for free, were due to play the Best of IMRO Showcase Tour last night, but pulled out due to concerns over the IMRO Licence, as “a show of solidarity in support of blogs, upcoming artists and artist-led labels.” Download
Holy Roman Army - Desecrations EP - excellent collection of five covers from the Carlow duo. Their version of Bon Iver's 'Skinny Love' is a standout. Download
Fight Like Apes - Live at Eurosonic - represented Ireland at the 2008 Eurosonic Festival, this year's representatives were And So I Watch You From Afar, Imelda May, Delorentos and Villagers. Download
Bill Coleman - Black and Red EP, Black and Green EP, Black and Blue EP, but you can also download his older material, like his excellent 2007 album I Tear My Own Walls Down. Download
Sacred Animals - Sacred Animals EP - Thanks to Peter at 2UIBestow for pointing me in the direction of the wonderful three song EP from up and coming Sacred Animals as well as the fact that Declan de Barra is offering up his past catalogue for free. Download
Declan de Barra - Song of a Thousand Birds his debut, he's working on a new album, A Fire to Scare the Sun, at the moment. de Barra also represented Ireland at last year's Eurosonic Festival. Download
Part Four of my countdown of the Best 50 Irish Acts today. The only requirement for entry is that the artist must have played live or released something in the past twelve months.
20. And So I Watch You From Afar ASIWYFA are not for everyone. They released a double-album of instrumental tunes last year which divided opinion. Some people loved it and some people hated it. I was nearer the first camp. They released their Letters EP earlier this year, and I must say that it's an improvement on the album. I'm always a fan of prolific artists (are you listening Damien Rice?)
19. Villagers Conor O'Brien's the Immediate are the most missed 00s Irish band. Their album In Towers and Clouds is a masterpiece of Irish rock. Thus a lot is expected from his follow-up project, Villagers. 2009's Hollow Kind EP was a fantastic introduction, and with the imminent release of their debut album, 2010 may be O'Brien's year.
18. CODES This bunch of Dublin youngsters smashed onto the scene with their debut album Trees Dream in Algebra, and the fantastic single 'This is Goodbye'. They're signed to a major label, so major things should be expected from one of the shining lights in young Irish rock.
17. 202s Less electronic than CODES, 202s are a wonderful new Irish rock band. Their self-titled debut was one of my most listened to records of 2009, with a wonderful bunch of instantly memorable songs. Their live act is pretty solid too. It'll be exciting to see what they do next.
16. R.S.A.G. Kilkenny one-man-band Jeremy Hickey was an extremely worth candidate for last year's Choice Music Prize with his gorgeous Organic Sampler (p.s. the bonus disc is just as good). Although he hasn't released a follow-up yet, he's been trying out some new stuff live, and his experimentation is bound to produce some alchemic goodness.
15. Ultan Conlon Ultan Conlon has been on the scene for many years, releasing his debut EP in 2002, going on to form the underrated UltanJohn, and even playing with legendary guitarist John Marytn. His single 'The Universe Tune' was released earlier this year, and should have gotten much more attention. He's still vastly underrated, but if he continues making music this good, the limelight can't be far away.
14. Jape Richie Egan seems to be reporting about new endeavours and live shows every day on twitter. The winner of last year's Choice Music Prize, he can now easily move on from all those Jack White references. A lot is expected from the follow-up to Ritual, but if his entire catalogue is anything to go by, it's sure to be brilliant.
13. The Cast of Cheers One of the golden children of the class of 2010, this Dublin four-piece released their debut album Chariot for free to the public. A brave move, but it has paid off, as many people (including myself) have waxed lyrically about their excellent 33 minute rock sucker punch.
12. David Geraghty It wouldn't be fair to lump David Geraghty in alongside the main Bell x1 category, as he's a wonderful solo act in his own right. Bell x1 is mostly Paul Noonan's vehicle, but we always knew that Geraghty's guitarwork was one of the band's best features. His second album Victory Dance improved greatly on his debut Kill Your Darlings, and was my favourite Irish album of 2009. There's a lot more to come from him on his own terms.
11. Heathers I first saw Dublin sister-act Heathers on TG4's Pop4 a few years ago, and was enchanted by their Gaelic take on Tegan & Sara pop. Their single 'Remember When', taken from 2008's Here Not There is currently being used by Discover Ireland on their television and cinema adverts and is everywhere at the moment. 2009 was not a lean year for them though, they're not just recycling old tunes, as they gave a wonderful guest spot on Ireland's own Gorillaz, Super Extra Bonus Party's 'Comets'. A fantastic tune.
My good friend Michael is a huge fan of rock. Thus when I recommend an album to him, I always make sure that it's rocking. Definitely rocking. Last week, I recommended the debut album from Dublin rock band The Cast of Cheers. Named after Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson and co., googling this band of Irish barroom patrons will get you tonnes of links to "Where are they now pages", and if you're lucky, the link to download this album for free - legally too.
Chariot opens with 'Goose', and just five seconds in, you know you're on to a winner. It's territory which has been well trampled by Bloc Party, and this foursome easily could be Ireland's answer. They describe themselves as 'Robot Rock', which isn't too far off the mark, but the emphasis should really be on the rock. This album contains foot-stomping material from start to finish.
The strangely titled 'I am Lion' is more spectral than the opener, with moments of woozy melody which add an unsettling quality to the music. Unsettling in a good way though. Kind of like how Paranormal Activity is a great film. Unsettling, but great. 'Tip the Can' slides towards breathy mathrock, as it races along at a momentous pace. 'Auricorn' brings more Bloc Party comparisons, and has some great lyrics including the clever "I am not the deputy / And he was not the sheriff / We stole her identity".
There are plenty of great tunes on this album, including the gritty 'Derp', the angry outburst of 'Tigerfox', and the slow-building 'Strangers' injects a surprisingly good change of pace. All the songs are punchy, with only the closer 'Glitter' over four minutes, but this is why the album works so well. It's a fantastic one-two punch of an album which briefly sticks around, but makes enough of a mark to be memorable after the last note rings out. A fine debut from an emerging Irish rock behemoth.
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